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Johannesburg to the Aegean coast: Selçuk and Şirince

Johannesburg → Selçuk → Şirince

Selçuk
"Selçuk fortress.jpg" by Francisco Anzola, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence
Cumhuriyet Square (Izmir)
Photo: Michael ksk, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The ruins of Ephesus & a hill village of wine Best season (general guide): Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct

The Aegean coast of Turkey holds some of the best-preserved Roman ruins anywhere, with a quiet hill village just above them. This route spends four nights in Selçuk and two in Şirince. From Johannesburg you'll connect through Istanbul to İzmir, then take the train south. Selçuk is a district of İzmir Province, about two kilometres north-east of the ancient city of Ephesus.

How to pace it: Spend days one to four in Selçuk: day one, train from İzmir; day two, Ephesus; day three, House of the Virgin Mary; day four, Basilica of St John and the museum. Then spend days five and six in Şirince: day five, road up to Şirince; day six, village walk and wine.

Ephesus, listed by UNESCO, was one of the great cities of the Roman east. Its Library of Celsus, with its two-storey façade, is the best-known building. Ephesus was once home to the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Only a single rebuilt column now stands at its site, near Selçuk.

The House of the Virgin Mary, on a hill above the ruins, is a shrine visited by Christian and Muslim pilgrims.

The area around the village has a history going back to the Hellenistic period. Its stone and timber houses climb the hillside, and the village is known for fruit wines. Spring and autumn are the best time to walk the ruins, before the heat of summer for İzmir shows. The Ephesus Museum, in Selçuk, holds statues and finds from the ancient city.

Safety: Canada advises a high degree of caution in Türkiye and says to avoid all travel within 10 km of the Iraqi and Syrian borders (updated 29 Sep 2026); the US rates the country Level 2 (9 Jun 2026). Selçuk and Şirince are on the Aegean, far from those borders.

Trains from İzmir airport run to Selçuk, and minibuses climb to Şirince.

Suggested outline

  1. Johannesburg

    Start

  2. Selçuk

    By air · 4 nights suggested

    A town at the gates of Ephesus.

  3. Şirince

    By road · 2 nights suggested

    A hill village of stone houses and fruit wine.

    Şirince
    "Şirince - panoramio (1).jpg" by Ahmet Tuna Yesilyayl…, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence

Day by day

  1. Day 1 · Selçuk — Arrive; train from İzmir· Johannesburg → İzmir (by air) — long-haul; may arrive the next calendar day, then İzmir → Selçuk (overland)
  2. Day 2 · Selçuk — Ephesus
  3. Day 3 · Selçuk — House of the Virgin Mary
  4. Day 4 · Selçuk — Basilica of St John and the museum
  5. Day 5 · Şirince — Road up to Şirince· Selçuk → Şirince (by road)
  6. Day 6 · Şirince — Village walk and wine
  7. Day 7 · Şirince — Travel home from Şirince· Şirince → İzmir (by road), then İzmir → Johannesburg (by air)

A suggested pace only; expedition days are set by the operator.

Flights, leg by leg

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Selçuk

Nearest airport: Izmir Search fares · Izmir ↗

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